Trailer Talk: ‘Death at a Funeral’

— by ALEXA MILAN —

It’s not uncommon for American filmmakers to remake foreign films, but Chris Rock’s version of “Death at a Funeral” arrives just two and a half years after the British original. It seems a bit soon, especially since the original film received a U.S. release.

In the American update, Rock plays Aaron, a man dealing with mishap after mishap on the day of his father’s funeral. First the coffin contains the wrong body, followed by a swarm of other misadventures and shocking revelations. Then Aaron learns his father was romantically involved with another man (Peter Dinklage), who will reveal photos of their affair if the family doesn’t pay him.

It’s not that this remake looks bad, but rather it seems unnecessary to be reimagining such a recent English-language film. Some of the dialogue in this trailer is almost word-for-word from the British original and some of the scenes are almost shot-for-shot, yet the original seems funnier and fresher.

But the new “Death at a Funeral” does have a great ensemble cast, including Danny Glover, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Luke Wilson and James Marsden. Dean Craig, who wrote the original film, also wrote this remake, which could also work in the film’s favor.